


take a leap of faith (into our family)

by call_me_steve



Series: a kinder world (than our own) [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Brother Acquisition, Accidental Son Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Codes & Ciphers, Fluff, Gen, Identity Reveal, Jason Todd Does Not Die, Jason Todd is Robin, Kid Tim Drake, Libraries, Teensy bit of hurt/comfort, Tim Drake is also kinda robin you'll see, back at it again w the rip off zodiac killer, best dad bruce wayne bc fuck you canon, but it's also, ha bruce is in this one for real, he is aliveeee, he is leetol, i did Not forget about batman this time hell yeah, no beta we die like. not jason, tim finds out about the batman hehe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29900484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_steve/pseuds/call_me_steve
Summary: “Everyone knows what happens in Gotham alleys.”“Trust me,” Jason says, nonchalantly, “no one knows about this.”Tim finally breaks from Jason’s hold completely, taking a step back towards the light of the sidewalk. “Maybe it’s better if I don’t know about it either.”Jason holds out his hand. “Again- do you trust me?”The kid's answer comes without hesitation. “Yeah.”So, Tim takes his hand. Together, they leap.-Or, Tim is going to become a part of the Wayne family whether he liked it or not- of course, Jason had never thought it would happen likethis.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: a kinder world (than our own) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077854
Comments: 12
Kudos: 268





	take a leap of faith (into our family)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ghostfaeries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostfaeries/gifts).



> so once i finished this i realized that it's :handshake: with ailuro's adorable, wonderful au, [tales of beasts and beings](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979806), which you should go read lest u want to die by my blade
> 
> but also HAPPY BIRTHDAY AILURO!!! I HOPE THIS ONE IS LOVELY AND AWESOME!!! (and, tbh, every time i add another part to this fic, it's a gift for u <33)

It takes a couple weeks before Jason can coax Tim to return to the manor. They continue to meet up in the public library as the days pass, though, so Jason doesn't worry too much about his family scaring Tim off. 

Certainly, that day that he'd invited Tim over to dinner so they could show Bruce the cipher, it'd been hectic enough _to_ scare him away. Tim had come, Jason had slipped the cipher into the one place where Bruce would see it, and then the duo had taken to one of the rooms close to the main stairwell to hide away until they heard Bruce's booming voice dance through the halls. 

Even Dick was there for the night, hoping to secure an _Alfred-esque_ meal and instead ending up with a handful of Jason, scrambling out of Bruce's way as he shook the paper in that dadly _"Jason Peter Todd"_ way. 

Tim had stood in the background of it all until Jason had pointed to him, proudly proclaiming, _He helped me with it!_

Oh- the look on Tim's face after that had sent Jason sprawling on the ground, laughing his ass off. Both Dick and Bruce had quit yelling at Jason to simultaneously turn their gazes to Tim, the poor kid. 

"You made this?" Bruce had asked.

Tim had nodded minutely. "Jason helped." 

_"He's_ trying to crack the 340 code!" Jason tacked on. "And he's actually getting _close!"_

"Really?" Dick had voiced, shucking Jason off of him like one would tear tape from a page. Jason stuck his tongue out at him as Dick regarded Tim a little closer. "You're a smart kid." 

Jason skittered over to Tim's side, whispering in his ear, "Say _'thank you, Dickhead.'"_

Tim looked alarmed by the idea. Bruce, thankfully, saved the day and scolded Jason, exasperatedly, once more: _"Language,_ Jaylad."

After that, they had dinner and Bruce sort-of gently hounded Tim for information about how close he was to cracking the cipher. Of course _Bruce_ would want to know. If Jason didn't know any better, he'd almost think that Bruce would straight up replace him with Tim. Well- there was a reason Jason had brought Tim along, and it only aligned itself with _half_ of that idea. 

Tim was going to become a part of the Wayne family whether he liked it or not. 

Step one of that plan is completed: _Introduce Tim Drake to the Wayne Family._

Bruce keeps asking Jason, every night he comes home, if he'll be bringing Tim along again. Dick comes and goes like always, but when he's around, he questions whether or not _'the little Drake boy'_ stopped by. Even Alfred is taken with him: "What good manners Young Timothy had." 

Perhaps that last one had been a slight at Jason's manners, but. You know. He was willing to look past that, especially given that Alfred was the one who packed his lunch. And made his breakfast. And helped him with his homework and chores and literally everything else when Dick and Bruce weren't around at the moment. 

(No, Jason was _not_ dependent. He just... knew a god when he saw it.)

Step two is something that Jason has been attempting to enact for the past few weeks- and his failure to do so is exactly why Tim hasn't come around as of late. 

"Do you want to come over, again?" Jason asks, once more, right now. 

They're at the library- of course they are, it's the only place they ever see each other- and Tim has his cipher books all strewn out. There's the ever present notebook, the _second_ notebook, two scraps of paper that hold the 340-cipher, (each is scribbled over to hell and back, with a single cat in the upper corner drawn by Jason), and a thick book pilfered from one of the library shelves. Another book- this one less of a textbook and more of a biography type deal- on the Constellation Slayer rests by Jason's elbow. 

He takes it up into his hands and starts flipping through it. He doesn't have any English assignments and, while he's almost always in the mood to read another classic, right now he just wants Tim to say _yes._

Tim doesn't seem to hear him. Wonderful. 

What with daylight burning fast, Jason feels his brows furrow. He and Bruce are heading out tonight and if Tim doesn't agree soon, today will be just another strike. He tries again, a little louder, as he hits the section in the book about the 340-cipher. With a huff, Jason snaps the cover of the book shut. 

He's _over_ ciphers- no offense to Tim. The cipher they'd made to mess with Bruce was _cool_ and all- and so was the fact that this tiny kid was so close to cracking the infamous Slayer Cipher- but since then, the Riddler's found his own taste for codes. 

These aren’t even the fun sorts- these are the annoying ones that take days to decode. If Jason has to do one more pigpen cipher he is going to lose it. He used to think they were fun and funky; now, he just wants to forget that ciphers and the like even _exist._

That’s sort of hard to do, when you’re friends with the kid who’s so enamored with them that he’s cracking the aforementioned 340-cipher. 

Part of Jason muses that they could rope Tim into this whole vigilante business. It would certainly make this whole ordeal so much easier. Tim could probably crack each of these codes in record time. Maybe then they’d finally track down the Riddler and toss him back in Arkham until he saw fit to break out once more. 

As if Bruce would ever _let_ him, though. Though- Ah, no way. The only thing that would come out of showing Tim the Batcave would be a horribly nasty grounding. Jason _does not_ want to be grounded, even if it means passing up the opportunity to have someone else do half of his work for him.

 _“Timbers,”_ Jason sings, now, poking Tim’s cheek with the butt of his pencil. 

Finally, Tim spurs out of his haze. He reels back, messy- (probably self cut)- hair falling into his face. There’s a moment where the kid tries to awkwardly blow it away to no avail and Jason does his best not to laugh. 

“What?” asks Tim, crinkling up his nose. He’s nearly there to getting comfortably snappy with Jason- (and, honestly, Jason doesn’t even mind. The first time Tim _did_ snap at him, the kid got so panicked about it he hadn’t shown up to the library for two whole days. Jason had to track him down and wrangle him back to the table before he realized that he was stuck with him for good.)   
  
“I asked you a question.” 

Tim spreads his fingers out, then presses his palms over the table before pushing them across it, as if just to get reacquainted with the feeling. He sort of stretches, too, a bit like a cat. “What?” he repeats. 

A fond smile surely breaks out onto Jason’s face. Normally, he’d try to hide it. Right now, seeing as though Tim’s peering right down at his work rather than him, he doesn’t even bother. “Do you want to come over, again?” 

“My parents are home,” Tim dutifully replies, just as he’d done the day before. “I don’t think I should.” 

“I think you should.”

Seeing as though last time he’d only managed to bribe Tim into coming by taking hostage his books, Jason thrusts himself up from his seat and grabs Tim’s notebook. He closes it with care and then promptly stuffs it into his backpack. Gentle prodding doesn’t work- gentle _bullying_ does.

 _“Hey-”_ cries Tim, indignantly. He quickly sweeps together the rest of his stuff to protect it from Jason- smart kid. He’s _learning._ “Why do you have to keep stealing all of my stuff?” 

“Because Bruce wants to see you again.” 

Tim’s face morphs into something like floundering confusion and drowning realization. It’s a sort of funny combination that leaves him looking constipated. 

Jason pats his back, urging him towards the doors. “Oh, don’t worry about it so much,” he says. “Bruce just likes you, that’s all.” 

The response to that comes in the form of a mumble: “I don’t see what he _likes_ so much.” 

The meaning behind the words hits him full force just as he’s swinging his backpack- and the stolen notebook- up onto his shoulder. Like a record stopped short, Jason’s legs freeze into place and his smile quickly morphs into a deep frown. _I don’t see what he likes so much_ repeats in his head like one of those annoying pop songs or bubble gum ads. 

_The hell do you mean by that?_ he wants to ask. _What’s there not to like?_

Tim is- okay, _okay._ Jason isn’t exactly the most personable kid. He’s not very emotional and he’s not always quick to grow attached, but when it comes to Tim, Jason latched onto him as quickly as some might say _“shit”._

Okay, bad example.

Jason _likes_ Tim- likes how he doesn’t exactly fit the status-quo of “rich kid” just like him. They’re not _like_ everyone else and maybe that’s why they’re so close, now. They didn’t have many people in their lives before that day Tim plopped down at his table, and now they have each other. There’s a _gigantic_ part of Jason that literally would not trade that meeting for the world. 

Tim’s _smart._ He’s funny when he actually tries and he’s awfully shy and kind, too. He helped Alfred set the table when he came around and he always says _thank you_ when Jason slips him extra snacks despite the No Food rule in the library. He carries around textbooks for fun and he likes codes and ciphers and he’s so close to cracking the _hardest code_ Gotham City has seen in _years._

How doesn’t he see how much Bruce _likes_ him? 

“You know what?” Jason declares. “I’m going to show you something.” 

This, quite possibly, has to be the worst idea that Jason’s _ever_ had. This could backfire so horribly he’ll end up without video games or library privileges or something. But- maybe if he shows Tim the cave and has him try out a few of the unsolved ciphers, Tim will realize just how much Jason trusts him. Jason doesn’t _trust_ easily- so, by extent, maybe Tim will understand how much he _means._

And how much Jason actually cares for him.

It’s- it’s just like when you tell toddlers things in order to make them feel important or something. Except Tim is no toddler. Except Tim _is_ important. Except this isn’t just a _thing,_ this is Bruce’s lifelong, most important, _biggest_ secret. 

Maybe it’s not _just like_ anything. Maybe this is just stupid.

Oh well. 

The fact that Tim hardly objects to- basically- being dragged out of the library all over again is just a testament to how flimsy his excuses are. If Tim was _really_ worried about his parents, then maybe he’d speak up and tell Jason to drop it. Jason would like to think they’re in a place in their relationship where Tim can _tell_ him to shove off if he’s overstepping. 

And, since Tim doesn’t say a word, Jason decides he must be doing something right. 

They slip down the steps of the library’s entrance and shoot out right onto Gotham Academy’s _lovely_ campus- (said as sarcastically as one might say _oh joy_ when told to go hang out with the Joker, of course. Jason likes to think that it’s rich, pompous, and snooty as hell.) 

Jason keeps walking without pause, firmly grasping Tim’s wrist. They don’t stop when they hit the city proper, or when they pass the bus station, or when they hit the _really_ busy roads, tall buildings, and cluttered sidewalks. And, through it all, the only reason why Jason lets go is so he can hold Tim’s hand properly so he doesn’t lose him.

From these lively streets, it’s only a five minute walk to Jason’s desired location: a dark, secluded alley way. 

Awesome, right?

At first, because Tim’s brilliant and actually has some brain cells, the kid _refuses_ to enter. In a sort of whispered-shout, he tensely tells Jason, _“Everyone_ knows what happens in Gotham alleys.” 

But, for as tense as his voice _is,_ it doesn’t even waiver. It’s deadset and locked- Tim _knows_ that they shouldn’t enter the alley, but he’s not _afraid_ to do it.

“Trust me,” Jason says, nonchalantly, _“no one_ knows about _this.”_

Tim finally breaks from Jason’s hold completely, taking a step back towards the light of the sidewalk. “Maybe it’s better if _I_ don’t know about it _either.”_

So- here’s the thing. 

There’s _one big part_ about being a vigilante. Well, sort of two, but the principle is the same. If you’re going to join the rooftop-night scene in Gotham, you need to be able to take a leap of faith. This includes the one atop the actual rooftop, where you hope your equipment won’t fail. It _also_ includes the one everywhere else, where you have to _trust_ someone to catch you.

Jason and Dick- they do it every night they go out with Bruce. Bruce has, slowly, begun to do it with them, too. 

Though Tim is still _young,_ it’s not too early for him to be able to do it- this is how Jason will test if he’s ready to know about Batman yet. If he takes it, he is. If he doesn’t, that’s _his choice._

All Tim needs to do is take a leap of faith. 

_I’ll catch you,_ Jason swears, as he holds out his hand. _“Do_ you trust me?” 

Without hesitation, Tim says, “Yeah.” 

Then, the kid takes his hand and, together, they leap. 

The alley itself is nothing special. There’s a dumpster tucked against the wall and some scattered trash that never made it inside. Jason pulls Tim along to the far side of the dumpster- the one facing the brick wall that marks it as a dead-end- and quickly finds the secret hatch. He gestures for Tim to slip down it first and then follows, deftly closing it behind him.

The way _this_ hatch works is kind of like the man-hole covers that lead them to the sewers. They _do_ come out into the sewers- ick- but the hatch was put in place by Bruce while Dick was still Robin.

 _That’s_ because, if Jason presses his hand to the correct part of the wall-

The walls open with a puff of fantastical smoke and Tim’s gasp makes any threat of grounding worth it. 

_Behind_ this wall rests Jason’s Robin bike. On top of the seat is his helmet and, tucked away in another secret crevice, is his Robin uniform. Jason doesn’t even _want_ to know how long it took Bruce to install this. 

“We,” says Jason, as he climbs on the bike and offers the helmet, “are going to the Batcave.” 

So- _so._ If Jason is being honest, the response he was _hoping_ for was some sort of cut of shriek of _“Oh my god! Oh my god!”._ Or, though it was unlikely, he was waiting for Tim to completely misunderstand and instead say, _“How in the world did you find Robin’s_ bike?!”

Instead, Tim opens his mouth, then he shuts it. This repeats over and over for a bit until Tim finally spits out, _“I was right.”_

If Jason is being _even more honest,_ this is _not_ the response he was expecting _at all._

“Wait, wait- _what do you mean, I was right.”_

“I _knew-!_ Bruce Wayne is _Batman._ Dick Grayson was the first Robin!” 

Dumbfounded, Jason can hardly do anything more than keep _staring_ at the kid. If Tim had looked like a floundering fish as he tried to figure out what to say, then _Jason_ looks like one right now. _“How?”_

“Mr. Wayne took in Dick right around the time that Robin showed up with Batman. Robin vanished when Nightwing appeared and Dick moved to Blüdhaven” -(as if he actually _lives_ in his Blüdhaven apartment)- “when _Nightwing_ appeared in Blüdhaven. Then _you_ showed up right around the time that the _new Robin_ showed _up.”_

Huh. 

_Huh._

“Jesus _Christ,_ kid,” is all Jason can say. He honestly has no idea how to react. “Hop on the bike.” 

Tim hops on the bike. Together, once more, they speed off towards the Batcave. As they go, Jason shoots off a message to Bruce. He should be home at this point, either in his office working on Wayne Enterprises stuff from home or in the Batcave trying to crack the code. Either way, Jason decides it’s apt to let him know they’re on their way- but only because Tim knew _beforehand._

Had Tim _not_ known, things would have gone a _whole lot easier._

Or not. But- 

_God,_ how is this kid so freaking _smart?_

It takes them no time at all to get to the tunnel that leads straight to Wayne Manor. Tim’s arms are wrapped around Jason’s torso so tightly he can barely breathe, but Jason just chalks that up to how sharply he takes the turns as they pass through the sewers at what feels like the speed of light. This is why Jason _loves_ the bike- he loves riding through Gotham when all should be still, feeling the wind in his hair as the colourful lights spiral and fade. 

It feels a little like flying, just like the grappling hooks. 

Once they hit the stretch, Jason pushes the bike faster. They skirt straight into the Batcave and Jason’s tires squeal as he rounds to a stop, slapping his foot down to keep them from falling over. Moments after they still, Tim finally pops his head up, eyes blown wide. 

“Still good?” Jason asks him. 

“Still good,” Tim wheezes out, muffled by the helmet. 

Perhaps the fact that Bruce stands- not dressed in the Batman suit- waiting for them- perhaps that fact shouldn’t bode as well as it does. Rather than tense up, Jason feels his body relax; he basks in the safety he always feels around Bruce and takes in the sight of his _dad,_ clad in sweatpants, a workout shirt, and a fond smile across his face. 

Still, Jason’s voice slips out sheepishly. “Heya, B-man.” 

“Hello, Jaylad.” Bruce tilts his head, trying to get a better glimpse of Tim, who hasn’t moved from his position behind Jason. He’s hiding- and it’s _almost_ cute. “Hello, Tim.” 

Jason pats Tim’s arm, stepping off the bike in an attempt to get Tim to say something. Say something he does once he pulls of his helmet, hair sticking up at all angles-

“Hello, Mr. Batman,” says the kid, and in _seconds,_ his entire face goes aflame. “I-I mean-” 

Bruce, of course, doesn’t explode. Rather, his fond smile grows _fonder_ and he walks forward until he’s right in front of Tim. Then, he crouches down, reaching out for Tim slowly- projecting it enough so that Tim can reel back if he wants to. 

Tim lets him do it; Bruce cards his fingers through Tim’s hair in order to fix the mess.

“Jason tells me you figured out who we were _before_ he decided to show you the cave,” he says.

Minutely, Tim nods. “I did.” 

“That’s extremely brilliant of you.” Bruce pulls back, sitting on his heels. “Even the greatest Gotham minds still haven’t connected the dots, you know.” 

Jason hadn’t thought it possible- but somehow, Tim’s face goes _shades darker._

“That,” Jason interjects, “is because Tim is the _greatest-est_ mind in Gotham. I thought he could help us crack some of the Riddler’s ciphers.” 

“I don’t see why not- but” -Bruce turns his gaze back to Tim, who looks very out of his depth- “only if you want to, Tim.” 

Tim begins worrying his hands, twisting them together as he bites his lip. Jason thinks that maybe he shouldn’t have thrown all of this at him, all at once- he should’ve done it slower, better, differently, oh no-

Then, Tim squeaks out, “I can- I- I want to help. I _really_ want to help.” 

Jason moves forward, wrapping an arm around Tim’s shoulders. “Well then, _Robin,”_ he says, smiling as brightly as a lightbulb flickering to life, “welcome to the family.” 

Step two- status, accomplished.


End file.
